Agencies/New Delhi

Indian schoolchildren and lawmakers yesterday observed two minutes of silence to pay homage to the victims of the terrorist attack in Pakistan at the Army Public School.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to schools to observe silence in a tweet after the attack in Pakistan’s northern city of Peshawar on Tuesday.

At least 148 people including 132 children were killed in the audacious attack by the Pakistani Taliban.

Many schools observed special prayers during the morning assembly. Others like Garden High School of Kolkata planned a ceremony for today.

“We observed silence and held prayers today,” said Vasavdutta Sarkar, a teacher at the Shriram School in Gurgaon on the outskirts of the Indian capital.

“Tomorrow all class teachers will do a one-hour capsule on hate, jihad and killing of innocents.

“Most children knew about the incident. They were shocked.”

“We lit candles and prayed,” said Adya Gupta of Podar World School, Jaipur. “It was horrible, it can happen in any school, anywhere.”

The Home Ministry has asked the police to keep a close check on schools, NDTV news channel reported.

Modi had called Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to tell him that the people of India shared the pain and sorrow of the bereaved families, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in parliament after lawmakers observed two minutes’ silence.  “Our government has swiftly and strongly condemned this. Prime Minister Modi reflected the entire nation’s feelings, when he termed it ‘a senseless act of unspeakable brutality’,” Swaraj said.

“In their darkest hour, we reached out and expressed our heartfelt condolences to the grief stricken families, transcending boundaries and differences,” Swaraj said. Both houses of parliament condemned the terror attack.

As soon as the lower house Lok Sabha assembled for the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan condemned the attack and asked the members to observe silence.

Modi was present in the house.

The Lok Sabha also passed a resolution proposed by the speaker expressing “shock, sense of deep outrage, profound sorrow” and condemned the “despicable, senseless, horrendous and cowardly terrorist attack.”

The resolution said the house “extends its heartfelt condolences to and sympathises with the parliament, government, people of Pakistan, the bereaved families and the injured.”

It said: “The house resolves that all barbaric terrorist attacks against innocent people, especially vulnerable children, should not be tolerated and calls upon all the nations and each and every one with all the energies at their command to fight against all acts of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”

In the upper house Rajya Sabha, Chairman Hamid Ansari paid tribute to the victims and the members observed silence for two minutes.

“This brutal and cowardly act is deplorable. The incident is indeed tragic and unfortunate,” the chairman said.

“This incident only reaffirms our resolve to fight terror with more determination and firmness,” he added. India and Pakistan have a history of bitter relations. India has accused Pakistan of sheltering and abetting militants who carry out attacks in India, a charge Pakistan denies.

Indian Muslim clerics have said the Pakistan attack was against the very tenets of Islam. “This is an attack against humanity, against Islam,” said Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid mosque.

“They are sowing seeds of violence,” Bukhari said. “Taliban have defamed Islam.”

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